Luka Doncic became the latest star to torch the Brooklyn Nets.
Following in the footsteps of Giannis Antetokounmpo (43 points, 14 rebounds), Ja Morant (38 points, 7 assists) and Pascal Siakam (37 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists), Doncic delivered a tour de force in Brooklyn on Thursday. The MVP favorite finished with 41 points, 14 assists, 11 rebounds and one of the most outrageous passes you’ll ever see.
The Nets can’t stop anybody, but that’s another story for another day, especially with Doncic dizzying and dazzling all defenders so far this season.
Doncic has justified the preseason hype and then some early on for the Mavericks. On the heels of his electric performance, here are three outrageous stats to sum up another brilliant performance amidst a scorching start.
But first, we have to talk about the pass.
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Luka Doncic over-the-head pass
Just end the competition for assist of the year right now.
With apologies to LeBron James, Chris Paul, Ja Morant, Tyrese Haliburton, Trae Young or anyone else who might drop a spectacular dime, nobody is touching this:
No look. Over the head. Luka is a MAGICIAN 🪄
The Mavs lead by 6 at end of Q3 on NBA TV and the NBA Apphttps://t.co/WjxYAo0Ivs pic.twitter.com/pWbDlX8phO
— NBA (@NBA) October 28, 2022
LOL. He is literally looking in the complete opposite direction down the court before he even starts throwing it.
From another angle, this is what it looked like courtside:
The in-arena angle of Luka’s unbelievable dime! #KiaTipOff22 https://t.co/jedSIzkiqJ pic.twitter.com/2KAMW2WSR2
— NBA (@NBA) October 28, 2022
Filthy. No notes.
Luka Doncic points, rebounds and assists
Following his outburst in Brooklyn, Doncic is now up to an NBA-best 36.3 points per game. Over the course of an entire season — yes, I know it’s been four games — that would be good for the 8th-most ever.
But here’s the kicker: he’s also averaging career highs in both rebounds (9.5) and assists (9.3)… not to mention steals, blocks, and shooting.
Add it all up, and Doncic is currently at a tidy 55.1 combined points, assists and rebounds per game.
That’s more than Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook or anyone else in modern NBA history.
| Season | Player | Combined |
| 2022-23 | Luka Doncic | 55.1 |
| 2022-23 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | 54.3 |
| 2016-17 | Russell Westbrook | 52.7 |
| 2018-19 | James Harden | 50.2 |
| 2019-20 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | 48.7 |
Will it hold up over the course of an entire season? Unlikely. But feasible? Why not.
Luka Doncic monster triple-doubles
I’m not going to lie, I’m kind of over triple-doubles.
And no, this is not just a thinly veiled attempt to blame Russell Westbrook for more things. There’s just nothing truly special or out of the ordinary about them anymore given the heliocentric, ball-dominant nature of today’s league in which the best players do it all.
But when you drop 40 AND wrack up dimes and boards, well, that’s something else.
Maybe it’s a product of the era, but Doncic already has three career 40-point triple-doubles to his name. That’s the same number that Michael Jordan and Larry Bird had in their entire careers.
He’s 23.
Again, different era, different sport all together. But nobody else is doing this, at this age. He has as many 40-point triple-doubles before the age of 24 as every other active player combined. (LeBron James did it twice back in the stone age while Trae Young has one to his name.)
Mavericks offense
Last but not certainly not least, it’s worth pointing out the overall impact of Doncic’s otherworldly play.
Yes, it’s been four games. (Check back in when the sample size is larger than Ben Simmons’ confidence.) But as it stands right now, the Mavericks are cooking opponents for 122.3 points per 100 possessions, an astronomical number that would be by far the best in NBA history.
It’s a result of smart basketball. They draw more fouls and get to the line more than anyone. They take and make a ton of 3s. They take fewer mid-range shots than any other team.
Again, it’s been four games, but the Mavericks’ offense is humming thanks to a system that is working exactly as intended.
This Luka-led offense has a very real shot to be the most efficient ever.
